>>Even if the wood finishes were available when I bought my speakers most likely I would have gone with the vinyl. I for one put more merit into how it sounds than the finish. Of course I need to see at what premium the wood will cost.

I would also have gone with vinyl, at least this time. I think it depends where the speakers are going -- in a living room or shared-use room the real wood finish is really nice, but in a "largely HT area" I think the vinyl is mighty fine and I would spend any extra $$ on "more speaker".

We have a kid friendly home. We made the decision years ago that we would not worry about what happens to furniture and fixtures when the house is full of people. Tonight the house will have 100-120 people during a 4 hour open house party. We tell our friends to enjoy themselves and let the kids have the run of the house.